From Sochi with love: Olympians tap-up Tinder on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is being celebrated all over the world, and Sochi is no different...

Even though she admitted to not having a Valentine for Friday, snowboarder Torah Bright, who won Winter Olympics silver in the halfpipe, was putting on a brave face. "Every day is Valentine's Day," said the Australian.

Valentine's Day cards are so last century in Sochi. These days it's all about digital love. Here Russian figure skating gold medalists Maxim Trankov and Tatiana Volosozhar create their very own digital Valentine card.

Snowboarder Jamie Anderson reportedly canceled her account for smartphone dating app Tinder before her event because she found it "distracting."

The American's professionalism was rewarded with gold in the inaugural slopestyle event. Anderson is pictured left celebrating with British bronze medalist Jenny Jones.

Describing Anderson as a "babe," fellow American snowboarder Alex Deibold added: "We're good-looking people all hanging out together."

As well as being an expert snowboarder, Deibold is a safe sex advocate. "I've definitely heard the athletes' village is a melting pot of good-looking people at the top of their sport," he said. "They do provide free condoms, which I think is a really smart move on their part. I think you can get them at the medical office."

U.S. snowboarder Jacqueline Hernandez -- pictured in the front -- confessed she was planning to "Tinder it up" once she was in the Olympic Village.

However, Austrian snowboarder Hanno Douschan was more concerned by the commercialization of Valentine's Day. "It's a money-making thing," he said.

Simona Meiler was similarly unmoved by Cupid's darts. "It's a day of preparation like any other. I've got other things on my mind, it's not my focus," said the Swiss snowboarder.

It wasn't just Winter Olympians celebrating Valentine's Day. Here a group of gay and lesbian activists hold a banner of the rainbow flag, the Olympic rings and the words "To Russia with love" as they stage a Valentine's Day kissing protest in Beijing.

HIDE CAPTION

Love is the air in Sochi

Love is the air in Sochi

Love is the air in Sochi

Love is the air in Sochi

Love is the air in Sochi

Love is the air in Sochi

Love is the air in Sochi

Love is the air in Sochi

Love is the air in Sochi

Love is the air in Sochi

Love is the air in Sochi

<<

<

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

>

>>

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Athletes at the Winter Olympics are using dating app Tinder

Gold medalist Jamie Anderson had to delete account as it was too distracting

Organizers have provided more than 100,000 condoms for athletes

(CNN) -- It's Valentine's Day, and the Olympic village is in the mood -- at least that's the story according to one champion athlete at this month's Games.

Slopestyle gold medalist Jamie Anderson revealed she had to delete her account with online dating app Tinder before her snowboard event in order to focus on the Olympics.

"Tinder in the Olympic Village is next level," the 23-year-old from South Lake Tahoe, California said in an interview with the magazine U.S. Weekly published Wednesday.

"It's all athletes! In the mountain village it's all athletes. It's hilarious. There are some cuties on there.

"There was a point where I had to be like OK, this is way too distracting. I deleted my account to focus on the Olympics."

Tinder is a matchmaking app for smartphones that facilitates communication between nearby users, prompting them to decide whether they like each other on the basis of a photograph and a brief profile.

If two users select "like" for one another, the match is made known to both individuals and they can begin messaging.

With most athletes owning smartphones and being active on social media, it was perhaps inevitable that the increasingly popular Tinder would play Cupid at the Olympics.

In fact, the company has experienced a 400% day-over-day increase of new users in Sochi since the Games began last Friday, Tinder CEO and founder Sean Rad told the Wall Street Journal.

With almost 3,000 competitors staying in the Olympic Village alone, and that doesn't include support staff, officials, media and fans who are all staying nearby.

This diverse mix of people from all corners of the globe, for what is essentially one big party over a three-week period, is perhaps why organizers have seen fit to supply roughly 100,000 condoms to the Olympic village.

Olympian exposed as topless pics surface

Kotsenburg: 'I was having fun with it'

Sochi: Scan your passport, get a beer

"I haven't seen it in action but I've definitely heard the athletes' village is a melting pot of good-looking people at the top of their sport," U.S. snowboarder Alex Diebold told reporters.

"They do provide free condoms, which I think is a really smart move on their part. I think you can get them at the medical office. We're good-looking people all hanging out together and stuff like that is bound to happen," he added.

Fellow American Jacqueline Hernandez said while she had been staying offline in the run-up to her snowboard cross event on Sunday, that was unlikely to remain the case for long.

"I haven't gotten on Tinder since I got here. I think after our event when we move up to the mountain (athletes' village) I will definitely try to Tinder it up," the 21-year-old said.

But while some athletes have taken to modern technology in the search for that someone special in Sochi, others have kept it old-school.

The traditional definition of Valentine's Day, after all, is for couples and singles to express their love -- openly or anonymously -- through cards, candy, flowers and gifts.

"If you have a girlfriend, you should tell her you love her every day," said Austrian snowboarder Hanno Douschan.

"Maybe when I get back to the athletes' village I will find a chocolate heart from the cleaning lady."

U.S. figure skater Ashley Wagner went one step further and tweeted a Valentine's card to herself, making light of her underwhelmed reaction to the judges' scorecards after she performed in the team event last weekend -- an image that went viral.